Maria Zakharova: Karabakh status should be determined on the basis of a legally binding expression of will

The matter of the status of Nagorno-Karabakh should be resolved through political and diplomatic means. The Russian posittion has been announced today by the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova who commented on the bill on the unilateral recognition of the secessionist entity by Armenia on the occupied territories of Azerbaijan as an independent state.

"We believe that this issue is to be resolved through political and diplomatic means. I want to remind you that the principles of the settlements of the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, were mentioned in the statements by the Presidents of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan made during the period from 2009 to 2013. It was noted that the status of Nagorno-Karabakh should be determined on the basis of a legally binding expression of will,’’ she said.

Maria Zakharova also confirmed Russia's readiness to provide the parties with necessary assistance in the implementation of this objective as an international mediator together with other states co-chairing the OSCE Minsk Group. "As you understand this topic is on the agenda of the Russian Foreign Ministry, the administration, diplomatic missions and contacts at the ministerial level. At this point in time this issue receives priority treatment,’’ the Foreign Ministry spokesman concluded.

Zakharova also urged media to be very accurate about the information coming from the capitals of the parties of the conflict. "We witnessed that a number of initiatives from one or the other side mass media immediately reports as an already made decision or an aggressive action; and as a result serious theories and hypotheses about the end of the upcoming peaceful settlement and the political process. I urge you to take into consideration the complicated nature of the issu and the recent aggravation of the situation on the ground, when interpreting the political statements being made,” the diplomat said.

At the same time she refused to assess how unilateral recognition of Karabakh by Yerevan would impact the peace process in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Answering a question by Trend about the upcoming meeting of the OSCE Minsk Group, Maria Zakharova said that the details of the meeting are currently being worked out. "The decision about the exact time and place for the meeting has not been agreed on yet. The parties are trying to decide how to hold the meeting and what concrete result can be achieved. It is too early to speak about the exact date, but we are about a matter of upcoming weeks. The format of the meting is not yet defined,’’ she said.

According to the official information, the Government of Armenia approved the bill by Zaruhi Postanjyan and Hrant Bagratyan, which recognizes the sovereignty of the self-proclaimed ‘Nagorno-Karabakh Republic’, and submitted the document to the Parliament. Later, the spokesman for the Prime Minister of Armenia Gohar Poghosyan wrote on his Facebook page that the adoption of the bill by the Cabinet will depend "on further developments, including external factors."

The Kremlin’s press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, gave a negative assessment of the fact that the controversial bill was approved [by the government of Armenia].  "We are closely watching the decisions that are taken in this context. Certainly, we continue to expect that the parties will avoid any steps that could breach the fragile truce and lead to escalation of tensions in Nagorno-Karabakh,’’ he said, adding that Yerevan and Moscow did not hold consultations on the recognition of Karabakh.